Torrance has the player most believe is the top returning pitcher in the South Bay. It has many of the players who helped it record a school-record 25 victories. What Coach Ollie Turner hopes his players do not have is the idea that games will win themselves.

“There are two sides to that (school record),” Turner said. “It’s good that the kids expect to be good, but they still have to prepare to win. It won’t just happen.

“I like the atmosphere we’ve created, but one pitcher can’t pitch every game, so we have to bring a lot of kids along. We’ll be real solid behind the plate and in the outfield, and we have to be sure our infielders throw to the right bases and our pitchers throw strikes.”

It’s never as easy as it sounds, but Torrance has a lot in place already. The 2007 team went 25-8, wrestled the Pioneer League title away from El Segundo, and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals.

Three of the key players from that team – pitcher Danny Morales, shortstop Drew Rodela and outfielder Alex Salgado – have graduated, but Torrance still has what is probably the best weapon in the league.

Senior left-hander Jason Wheeler, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound pitcher, returns to anchor the staff and is regarded as one of the best pitchers in the South Bay. Wheeler has already signed to play baseball at Loyola Marymount, where his brother, Ryan, a former Torrance standout, already is playing for the Lions.

Wheeler went 6-2 with a 1.89 ERA. In 622/3 innings, he allowed 47 hits, walked 25 and struck out 61. He also hit .353 with a team-leading 29 RBIs.

“Jason Wheeler has improved a ton and he was pretty good last year,” Turner said. “We’re excited to see him come out of basketball and dominate baseball, which we expect him to do.”

El Segundo coach John Stevenson believes Wheeler will be a force in the Pioneer League.

“(Wheeler) comes from good stock,” Stevenson said. “He’s got good athletic genes and is still on the upswing, improving with each year. I feel he will improve greatly when he is finished with basketball and can devote himself 100 percent to baseball. Barring injury, the sky is the limit for this kid.”

But, Stevenson said, Wheeler will have to pass through El Segundo skies first. He already has the dates down.

“Having said this,” Stevenson said, “(El Segundo) is still planning on showing up on April 16 and 18.”

South Torrance coach Grady Sain agreed.

“Based on the game he pitched against us (in 2007), he’s that guy on the mound where you feel like he’s going to throw a shutout or be in a one- or two- run game every time he takes it out there.”

Wheeler is one of five returning starters who make Torrance a solid offensive team. The outfield of Jared DeCastro, Nathan Woerner and William Kollmeyer might be one of the area’s best. Kollmeyer hit .429 with 16 RBIs. DeCastro hit .406. Woerner hit .358 with a team-high 12 stolen bases. Catcher Lester Salcedo (.364) also returns, as does second baseman Brian McConnon (.257).

Perhaps the biggest question for Torrance is finding another pitcher after Wheeler. Morales won 10 games as the staff ace last year. Torrance should also get off to a better start than it did in 2007 when it was missing Wheeler and several other players who were on the basketball team which advanced deep into the playoffs.

Never to be underestimated, El Segundo met Stevenson’s annual goal of 20 victories, finishing 20-13 and 8-2. This El Segundo team is young and will have to play to its potential to add to El Segundo’s list of 30 league titles.

El Segundo lacks a name player. Center fielder Ben Doucette might be its best player, having batted .340 last year and captured All-League honors. Pitcher Joey Schaffhauser was only 4-4, but had a 3.09 ERA in 53 innings. Senior Jonathan Aceves went 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA in 17 innings. Sophomore catcher Justin McCullough hit .303 in an injury-shortened year. Mike Bundy and Brice Savage make up a sophomore right side of the infield. Third base is likely a platoon situation. Junior Jake Booterbaugh hit .294 as a second baseman that Stevenson used a designated hitter for. Freshman Grant Palmer will get a look at shortstop.

El Segundo has two seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen.

“We may be young, but we are not lacking in talent, attitude, or work ethic,” Stevenson said. “We are very optimistic about our chances in 2008.”

South Torrance went 16-12-1 and 7-3 to finish in third place in Sain’s first year at South. Center fielder Jon Kim (.374), shortstop John Hein (.404), outfielder Dylan Stephenson (.300) and pitcher Matt Dunbar (.317) are returning bats. Dunbar (2-3, 4.05) is one of four left-handed pitchers who have to replace the combined eight wins of Tim Salazar and Beau Hopps.

“We’re going to try to maximize what we do best, which is get on base and move guys over,” Sain said. “We have a little more team speed than we did last year. We don’t have the same pitching depth, but we have six or seven guys who can throw strikes. It should keep us in ballgames. I don’t think we’ll offensively break away. We don’t have much power.”

North Torrance went 9-19 last year and finished in fourth. Coach Mike Demaria believes North’s strength is up the middle with catcher Yohei Suzuki, second baseman Dylan Molinelli, shortstop Jun Endo and center fielder Marcel Lingad. Demaria said he thinks Lingad is one of the best hitters in the area. Ryan Young, a left-hander, is North’s top pitcher.

Lawndale junior right-hander Frank Hutchinson has pitched a no-hitter and leads the Cardinals’ pitching staff. First-year coach Scott Margolin thinks his team may be able to capture more victories than it has earned in recent seasons.